The Most Reverend Dr Charles Agyinasare, Presiding Bishop, Perez Chapel International, has called on the Church and Christians to be peacemakers.   

He said it was not sufficient for people to “simply love peace, talk peace, wear shirts about peace, sing about peace or only pray for peace,” but work for peace.     

Bishop Agyinasare said true blessings were for those who actually made peace and that “Our political leaders, the Church, and the civil societies must not only talk about peace but must act peacefully,” he said.     

He made the call at the second edition of “Conversations in the Cathedral” held at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra.     

The annual ecumenical dialogue, under the patronage of Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie, Catholic Archbishop of Accra, brought together Christians from diverse denominations to discuss issues of common concern.     

This year’s dialogue was on the theme: “The Church and the Message of Christmas in the COVID-19 era.”     

Bishop Agyinasare said Christmas was about the message of peace and goodwill to all human beings and so people must exemplify peace in their daily lives.     

He said political activists, who went on protests or demonstrations, ought to do so in a peaceful manner and with much decorum.     

“Burning tyres, throwing stones and destroying people’s property are all hostile acts and have no semblance of peace in them,” he added.     

Bishop Agyinasare entreated security officers to desist from brutally dealing with unarmed civilians, saying, the answer to violence did not lie in another act of violence but peace.     

The Reverend Dr Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye, Chairperson of the Ga Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church, Ghana, said Christmas was a call to show love to those in need and the underprivileged.     

He said the COVID-19 pandemic had affected many people who needed support and that the time was now.       

“Schools have not opened since March and some teachers, especially from the private schools, have been home for several months without a proper income. Many workers, especially those in the hospitality industry have also lost their jobs as a result of Covid-19,” he noted.       

Rev. Dr Kwakye said Christmas was, therefore, an opportunity for Christians to reach out to all those who had become devastated in those difficult times.     

Very Rev Fr Michael Kodzo Mensah, Formator, St Paul’s Major Seminary, Sowutuom, Accra, said Christ was a well-balanced person and so Christians needed to be balanced in their approach to life.     

He said in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Church was compelled to be an “ally of Science to survive.”     

“We have had to hold the Bible in one hand and the sanitizer in the other; the cross in the right and face mask in the left. There is nothing here to be ashamed of. Faith and reason must always journey together,” he said.       

 Mr Patrick Anumel, a member of the congregation, said church leaders needed to form an organisation that would partake in the political discourse of the country.     

He said such organisation would engage leaders of the various political parties to address issues of national concerns.

He added that, the organisation ought to be objective and fair in its approach to be seen to be neutral.